Rapid synthesis of high-yield Ti3AlC2 MAX phase powders from TiC0.67 and Al with induction heating assistance

Abstract

The development of new low-carbon emission methods for the synthesis and processing of materials is an urgent task today. Here, we present a rapid, efficient, and low-energy-consuming synthesis method for high-yield Ti3AlC2 MAX phase powders. Our method is based on induction heating-assisted combustion synthesis (IH-CS), where the heat of the reaction is used as a driving force of the process, and the conditions of the process are finely controlled using IH at the same time. Ti3AlC2 MAX phase was synthesized using TiC0.67 and Al powders as starting materials. The introduction of TiC0.67 reduced the total exothermic effect of the reaction, facilitating better control of the reaction process. IH was used to ignite the reaction and to hold the temperature after ignition at an optimal value to complete the synthesis process. The effects of holding temperature, Al, and Si addition on Ti3AlC2 yield were investigated. As a result, Ti3AlC2 MAX phase powders containing only.7 wt% of the secondary phase were synthesized in a very short time. Our findings suggest that IH-CS is a highly effective and promising alternative for the facile fabrication of high-purity MAX phase powders.